Dental implant with coded upper surface

ABSTRACT

A dental implant for insertion into bone within a patient&#39;s mouth comprises a body and a scannable code. The body includes a bone-engaging exterior surface, an anti-rotational feature for non-rotationally mating with an abutment, and an upper region. The upper region includes an upper surface for engaging the abutment. The scannable code on the upper surface provides information concerning the dental implant. The information includes at least two features of the dental implant.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/248,667, filed Apr. 9, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,065,090, and claimsthe benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/810,106 titled “Dental Implant With Coded Upper Surface” and filed onApr. 9, 2013, both of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an abutment system for adental implant system. More particularly, the present invention relatesto a dental implant having an upper surface that is coded to providedetails about the dental implant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The dental restoration of a partially or wholly edentulous patient withartificial dentition is typically done in two stages. In the firststage, an incision is made through the gingiva to expose the underlyingbone. An artificial tooth root, in the form of a dental implant, isplaced in the jawbone for osseointegration. The dental implant generallyincludes a threaded bore to receive a retaining screw for holding matingcomponents thereon. During the first stage, the gum tissue overlying theimplant is sutured and heals as the osseointegration process continues.

Once the osseointegration process is complete, the second stage isinitiated. Here, the gingival tissue is re-opened to expose an end ofthe dental implant. A healing component or healing abutment is fastenedto the exposed end of the dental implant to allow the gingival tissue toheal therearound. It should be noted that the healing abutment can beplaced on the dental implant immediately after the implant has beeninstalled and before osseointegration. In some situations, theosseointegration step and gingival healing steps have been combined intoa one-step process. Alternatively, instead of a healing abutment, atemporary abutment may be used to support a temporary prosthesis andalso serves the purpose of shaping the gingiva above the dental implant,just like a healing abutment.

In more recent years, scanning technologies have been used to aid in thedevelopment of permanent prostheses. The scanning technologies are usedto locate the underlying dental implant to which the final prosthesis issupported, as well as the adjacent soft tissue, the adjacent dentition,and the opposing dentition. The present disclosure is directed to acoding system on the dental implant that provides information that canbe acquired via an intra-oral scan to gain information about theunderlying implant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a dental implant for insertion into bone within apatient's mouth comprises an implant body and a scannable code. The bodyincludes a bone-engaging exterior surface, an anti-rotational featurefor non-rotationally mating with an abutment, and an upper region. Theupper region includes an upper surface for engaging the abutment. Thescannable code on the upper surface provides information concerning anangular orientation of the anti-rotational feature and a size dimensionof the dental implant.

In another aspect, the present invention is a dental implant forinsertion into bone within a patient's mouth, comprising an implant bodyand a scannable code. The body includes a bone-engaging exteriorsurface, an anti-rotational feature for non-rotationally mating with anabutment, and an upper region. The upper region includes an uppersurface for engaging the abutment. The scannable code on the uppersurface provides information concerning the dental implant. Theinformation including at least two features of the dental implant

In a further aspect, the present invention is a method of using a dentalimplant that has been placed in bone within the mouth of a patient. Themethod comprises (i) scanning the mouth including an upper surface ofthe dental implant so as to acquire scan data corresponding to ascannable code on the upper surface, (ii) developing a virtual model ofat least a portion of the mouth of the patient, and (iii) using the scandata to locate a virtual implant within the virtual model.

The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or everyaspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the summary merely provides anexemplification of some of the novel features presented herein. Theabove features and advantages, and other features and advantages of thepresent disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detaileddescription of exemplary embodiments and best modes for carrying out thepresent invention when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparentupon reading the following detailed description and upon reference tothe drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dental implant;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the dental implant of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3A illustrates a view of the upper surface of a dental implanthaving a first type of code;

FIG. 3B illustrates a view of the upper surface of a second dentalimplant have the first type of code;

FIG. 3C illustrates a view of the upper surface of a third dentalimplant have the first type of code;

FIG. 4A illustrates a view of the upper surface of a first dentalimplant having a second type of code;

FIG. 4B illustrates a view of the upper surface of a second dentalimplant having the second type of code;

FIG. 4C illustrates a view of the upper surface of a third dentalimplant having the second type of code;

FIG. 5A illustrates a view of the upper surface of a first dentalimplant having a combination of the first type of code and the secondtype of code;

FIG. 5B illustrates a second view of the upper surface of a seconddental implant having a combination of a first type of code and a secondtype of code; and

FIG. 6 is a view of the upper surface of the dental implant having athird type of code.

While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. Itshould be understood, however, that the present disclosure is notintended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, thepresent disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a dental implant 10 includes a bore 12 withan anti-rotational section 14 and a threaded section 16. Theanti-rotational section 14 is shown as a hexagonal socket, althoughseveral other types of anti-rotational features (both internal andexternal) can be used on the dental implant 10. The upper portion of thedental implant 10 includes a table 20, which is an upper surface (e.g.,the uppermost surface for dental implants with an internal connection)that engages an abutment that is mated with the dental implant 10. Theabutment would be held on the dental implant 10 via a screw that engagesthe threaded section 16 of the dental implant 10.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate a scannable code on the upper surface 20 of thedental implant 10. The scannable code is a radially extending marker 22that is used to provide information related to the dental implant 10.The radially extending marker 22 can also be of different lengths toprovide additional information. For example, the radially extendingmarker 22 a having a first length (FIG. 3A) can be indicative of a firstfeature of the dental implant, the radially extending marker 22 b havinga second length (FIG. 3B) can be indicative of a second feature of thedental implant, and the radially extending marker 22 c having a thirdlength (FIG. 3C) can be indicative of a third feature of the dentalimplant. For example, each of the markers 22 a, 22 b, 22 c can indicatethe location of one flat of the anti-rotational section 14 so that theimplant's angular orientation and, hence, the angular orientation of theanti-rotational section 14 is known. The length of the radiallyextending markers 22 a, 22 b, and 22 c may indicate a dimension of theimplant, such as its length or diameter of the upper surface 20. Inshort, the radially extending markers 22 a, 22 b, and 22 c are codesthat are indicative of one or more features of the dental implant 10.

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a second type of scannable code on the uppersurface 20 of the dental implant 10. The scannable code is acircumferentially extending marker 24 that is used to provideinformation related to the dental implant 10. The circumferentiallyextending marker 24 can also be of different lengths to provideadditional information. For example, the circumferentially extendingmarker 24 a having a first length (360 degrees in FIG. 4A) can beindicative of a first feature of the dental implant, thecircumferentially extending marker 24 b having a second length (90degrees in FIG. 4B) can be indicative of a second feature of the dentalimplant, and the circumferentially extending marker 24 c having a thirdlength (180 degrees in FIG. 4C) can be indicative of a third feature ofthe dental implant. Of course, the circumferential length can be brokendown in terms of 30-degree segments or 60-degree segments, as opposed tothe 90-degree segments suggested by FIGS. 4A-4C. The length of thecircumferentially extending markers 24 a, 24 b, and 24 c may indicate adimension of the implant, such as its length or diameter of the uppersurface 20. The circumferentially extending markers 24 a, 24 b, and 24 ccan also be used to identify the central axis of the implant 10 becauseeach would have a radius of curvature that is centered around thecentral axis. Hence, the circumferentially extending markers 24 a, 24 b,and 24 c help define the coordinate system used for the prostheticrestoration. In short, the circumferentially extending markers 24 a, 24b, and 24 c are codes that are indicative of one or more features of thedental implant 10.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate the use of a combination of the radiallyextending markers 22 on FIG. 3 and the circumferentially extendingmarkers 24 of FIG. 4 that are used to provide information related to thedental implant 10. The circumferentially extending markers 24 mayindicate a first dimension of the implant, such as its diameter, whilethe radially extending markers 22 can be indicative of a seconddimension of the implant, such as its length. Additionally, each of theradially extending markers 22 can indicate the location of one flat ofthe anti-rotational section 14 so the implant's angular orientation and,hence, the angular orientation of the anti-rotational section 14 isknown. In short, the combination of the circumferentially extendingmarkers 24 and radially extending markers 22 present a code that isindicative of one or more features of the dental implant 10.

The circumferentially extending markers 24 and radially extendingmarkers 22 can be placed on the upper surface in several ways. Forexample, they can be etched or printed (e.g. laser etching or laserprinting) on the upper surface 20 or they may developed by amicro-grooving process.

Of course, other types and shapes of information markers are possible onthe upper surface 20 of the dental implant 10. For example, FIG. 6illustrates the use of a bar-code marker 26 that can provide severaldetailed pieces of information once the scanning system has read thecode on the bar-code marker 26. The information markers could includediscrete scannable symbols, such as a “+” symbol, a “−” symbol, a “o”symbol, and a “A” symbol (etched or printed on the upper surface).Additionally, the presence or absence of each discrete symbol can bethought of as “1” or a “0” in a certain location on the upper surface20, such that the orientations markers present, as a group, a code thatis akin to a binary code of 1's and 0's. The unique code for eachimplant would be used to identify it. Any of these codes can be used inconjunction with or in combination with the markers 22 and 24 of FIGS.3-5 .

In addition to the aforementioned information regarding the implants,the codes can also provide the location of the table 20 (the uppermostsurface) of the implant 10, the type of implant (e.g. its type ofinternal connection), the type of implant including its bone-interfacingsurface technology (e.g., acid-etched, grit-blasted, nano-etched,nano-particles, etc.), the basic catalog information, and the implantmanufacturer's identity. Additionally, various markers or symbols (e.g.,an arrow marker or diamond marker) can be added to the upper surface toidentify one of the flat surfaces of the anti-rotation feature 14. Also,the scannable code can be used to indicate if the implant 10 is of atype that is normally platform-switched (e.g., an implant 10 that has aslight bevel at its periphery on the upper surface 20, where theabutment does not engage the bevel and may be diametrically smaller thanthe max diameter of the upper surface 20).

Other types of coded systems could be used instead of the system that isdiscussed with reference to FIGS. 3-6 . For example, the same symbol atdifferent locations on the surface of the upper surface 20 couldidentify the unique implant 10. For example, the upper surface 20 of theimplant 10 can be segmented into twelve regions, wherein each 30°segment has a geometrical pie shape, like hour segments on a clock. Asingle orientation line is present at one angular location, e.g., at 12o'clock, and is used for locating the anti-rotational surface of theunderlying implant 120 as well as setting the circumferential order ofthe twelve segments. A single type of information marker (e.g., a “A”symbol) can be placed at one of the twelve segments on the top surface,with each of the twelve segments corresponding to one of twelve possibleimplants 10 having a known size (length and diameter). Of course, thediscrete locations can be more or less than twelve, depending on thenumber that is needed. And, the discrete locations may include differentradially spaced locations, and not just circumferentially spacedlocations. Yet further, a combination of discrete locations and specifictypes of symbols can increase the potential number of options (i.e., a“+” symbol at circumferential segment #1 of 12 is implant “A”, but a “Δ”symbol at circumferential segment #1 of 12 is implant “B”). Accordingly,the location of a single type (or multiple types) of information markerwithin one of several distinct locations on the upper surface 20provides a coded system to identify the underlying implant 10, and thescanning process can easily identify the information marker and itslocation.

In addition to the unique codes being defined by symbols or markings,the codes for defining the dimensions of the healing cap 24 can bepresented in the form of different colors (or combinations thereof) thatdefine one or more features of the dental implant. Because theresolution and the photo-realistic data capture of the currentintra-oral scanning systems and method has improved, these colorsmarkers can be readily identified, such that the identification ofimplant 10 can be achieved. Accordingly, intra-oral scanning of theimplant 10 may capture scan data corresponding to a unique combinationof color(s), symbol(s), and/or other markings from the implant thatserves as a code (or part of a code) for identifying the particularimplant 10.

Further, because the data acquisition capabilities of current intra-oralscanning systems and methods has improved, the upper surface of theimplant 10 can be scanned and shape-matched to help identify the implantto its diametric dimension. In other words, the actual diametric size ofthe upper surface 20 serves as part of the information that is used toidentify the implant 10. The location of any information marker on theupper surface 20 relative to the scanned circumference of the uppersurface 20 provides an informational combination that can be matchedagainst library of implants to identify the specific implant 10 that hasbeen scanned. The markers (e.g., a “Δ” symbol or a “o” symbol or acircumferentially extending markers) can have the same size on alldiametric sizes of the implants, such that the relative dimensions ofthe information marker to each implant's diameter is different, whichassists with the shape-matching algorithm.

Alternatively, the scanning can rely on less than the entire uppersurface 20 of the implant, such as when the gingiva begins to growslightly over the implant 10. Hence, the markers may all reside within aradial distance that is less than 90%, 80%, or 75% of the overalldiameter so that their ability to be viewed (i.e., scanned) within thescanning process is unimpeded.

In one method, after the dental implant 10 has been installed, aclinician may immediately scan the mouth and dental implant 10. Or, theimplant 10 and mouth may be scanned to identify the conditions in thepatient's mouth after the gingival tissue has healed around a healingabutment or temporary prosthesis. In this situation, the healingabutment or temporary prosthesis is removed prior to the scanningprocess, which reveals the subgingival contour leading down to theimplant's upper surface 20. The scan data achieved in the scanningprocess includes the adjacent gingival tissue and, possibly, teeth. Thescan data is used to develop a virtual model, which is typicallydisplayed on a computer display. The scan data corresponding to thescannable code on the implant 10 is used to identify the type of dentalimplant and place a virtual implant at the correct position in thevirtual model. The virtual implant may only need to be a portion of theactual implant, such as its upper surface and its anti-rotationalfeature. The virtual model is used to develop a patient-specific customabutment and, possible an overall prosthesis that includes the abutment.In summary, a patient-specific custom abutment (and an overallprosthesis, which may include a patient-specific custom abutment) can bedeveloped based on the information derived from the scannable code thatproduces (i) geometric and locational information for the implant 10relative to the adjacent soft tissue structures and teeth (or a tooth)and (ii) the angular orientation of the implant's anti-rotationalfeature 14. Again, the intra-oral scanning may take place before,during, or after the gingival-healing period. Stated differently, thescannable code on the implant 10 provides information related to theprosthetic restoration's interface coordinate system, the seatingdiameter of the implant 10, the type of connection to the prosthesis,and the orientation of the anti-rotational connection—all of which arehelpful in the virtual design process that is used in making apatient-specific custom abutment and the overall prosthesis.

While the illustrated embodiments have been primarily described withreference to the development of a patient-specific abutment for a singletooth application, it should be understood that the present invention isalso useful in multiple-tooth applications, such as bridges and bars forsupporting full or partial dentures. In those situations, thepatient-specific abutment would not necessarily need a non-rotationalfeature for engaging the underlying implant(s) because the finalprosthesis would also be supported by another structure in the mouth(e.g., one or more additional underlying implants), which wouldinherently achieve a non-rotational aspect to the design. In any event,using a scanning process to obtain the necessary information about theemergence profile shape of the gingiva and the dimensional and/orpositional information for the implant(s) (via information markers inthe temporary prosthetic assembly) can lead to the development of anaesthetically pleasing multiple-tooth system.

While the present invention has been described with reference to one ormore particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognizethat many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments andobvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spiritand scope of the present invention, which is set forth in the claimsthat follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of using scan data of a dental implantpre-positioned in bone within a mouth of a patient to develop a virtualmodel for use in a virtual design process, comprising: receiving scandata of the mouth of the patient including an upper surface of thedental implant, the scan data including information corresponding toscanning of a scannable code on the upper surface of the dental implant,wherein the scannable code provides information regarding ananti-rotational feature of the dental implant; developing a virtualmodel of at least a portion of the mouth of the patient; and using theinformation corresponding to scanning of a scannable code to locate aposition of a central axis of a virtual implant within the virtual modeland an angular orientation of the anti-rotational feature in the virtualmodel.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of scannable codeson a plurality of differently diametrically sized dental implants arecommonly sized such that the relative dimensions of the scannable codeto each dental implant's diameter is different and wherein the virtualimplant is representative of at least a portion of the dental implant.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the portion includes the upper surfaceand the anti-rotational feature of the dental implant.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the scannable code includes a circumferentiallyextending marker.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein a radius ofcurvature of the circumferentially extending maker is centered around acentral axis of the dental implant.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein aradius of curvature provides a position of the central axis of thedental implant.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the scannable codeincludes a radially extending marker positioned on a location of theupper surface that is adjacent to the anti-rotational feature of thedental implant, wherein the anti-rotational feature is an internalstructure that is within a bore of the dental implant, the location ofthe radially extending marker provides a rotational orientation of theanti-rotational feature.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the radiallyextending marker has a first length, the first length of the radiallyextending marker providing information of a first size dimension of thedental implant.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the radially extendingmarker includes a second length, the second length of the radiallyextending marker providing information of a second size dimension of thedental implant.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the scannable codeincludes a barcode marker and wherein the anti-rotational feature islocated on a surface of a threaded bore of the dental implant.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the scan data comprises geometric andlocational information for the dental implant relative to an adjacentsoft tissue structure and/or tooth, a seating diameter of the dentalimplant, and a type of connection of the dental implant to a prosthesisand further including displaying, on a computer display, the virtualmodel.
 12. The method of claim 1, further including developing, by useof the virtual model, a patient-specific custom abutment, wherein thescan data comprises information relative to an interface coordinatesystem of the patient-specific custom abutment, a seating diameter ofthe dental implant, a type of connection to the patient-specific customabutment, and an orientation of an anti-rotational connection of theanti-rotational feature of the dental implant.
 13. The method of claim1, wherein the using comprising determining a location of the scannablecode on the upper surface of the dental implant relative to a scannedcircumference of the upper surface of the dental implant and matchingthe determined location of the scannable code relative to the scannedcircumference against a library of implants to identify the dentalimplant and further including developing, by use of the virtual model, aprosthesis to be placed on the dental implant.
 14. The method of claim1, wherein the information from the scannable code provides featuresabout the dental implant placed in the mouth of the patient, wherein thescannable code comprises information relating to a seating diameter ofthe dental implant, and wherein the features comprise a type ofconnection of the dental implant to a prosthesis.
 15. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the scannable code provides information for at leastone feature of the dental implant and wherein the at least one featureof the dental implant comprises a type of connection of the dentalimplant to a prosthesis.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein thescannable code provides information for at least two features of thedental implant and wherein the anti-rotational feature is located on asurface of a threaded bore of the dental implant.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the at least two features of the dental implantinclude a rotational orientation of the anti-rotational feature of thedental implant and a size dimension of the dental implant.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, wherein one of the at least two features of thedental implant is an x-y location of the upper surface of the dentalimplant.
 19. A method of using scan data of a dental implantpre-positioned in bone within a mouth of a patient to develop a virtualmodel for use in a virtual design process, comprising: receiving scandata of the mouth of the patient including an upper surface of thedental implant, the scan data including information corresponding to ascannable code on the upper surface of the dental implant, wherein thescannable code provides information regarding an anti-rotational featureof the dental implant; providing a display of a virtual model of atleast a portion of the mouth of the patient on a computer display; usingthe information corresponding to scanning of a scannable code toposition a virtual implant within the virtual model and determine anangular orientation of the anti-rotational feature in the virtual model;and developing, by use of the virtual model, a dental component to beplaced on the dental implant.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein thescan data comprises information relative to an interface coordinatesystem of the virtual model, a type of connection to the dentalcomponent, an orientation of an anti-rotational connection of theanti-rotational feature of the dental implant, and information relativeto a seating diameter of the dental implant, wherein the scannable codeincludes a circumferentially extending marker having a radius ofcurvature that is centered around a central axis of the dental implant,and wherein the radius of curvature provides a position of the centralaxis to assist with the virtual design process.
 21. A method of usingscan data of a dental implant pre-positioned in bone within a mouth of apatient to develop a virtual model for use in a virtual design process,comprising: receiving scan data of the mouth of the patient including anupper surface of the dental implant, the scan data including informationcorresponding to a scannable code on the upper surface of the dentalimplant; developing a virtual model of at least a portion of the mouthof the patient; and using the scan data to locate a virtual implantwithin the virtual model, wherein the scannable code includes acircumferentially extending marker and wherein a radius of curvature ofthe circumferentially extending marker provides a position of a centralaxis of the dental implant.